Shahid Afridi will lead Pakistan in the ODI series.

Nov 26, 2015 13:25 IST

Pakistan defeated England in the Test series, while the Three Lions clinched the ODI series against the men in green. Hence, the three-match T20 series between Pakistan and England is expected to be top notch with cricket fans set to be entertained by the players from both sides. The first T20 match of the series is scheduled to be played on Thursday in Dubai.

Pakistan and England have come into this T20 series with good performances in their previous series. The men in green should be a confident unit in the 20 over format as they have defeated Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka easily in the last two T20 series, while England defeated the might of Australia and New Zealand in their last two T20 matches.

However, it is a completely different affair when these two sides clash against one another. England, after their terrific performance in the last three ODIs against Pakistan, will be eager to maintain their winning streak under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, who has helped the players shine in the ODI series.

Morgan will be keen to see his players shine once again in the T20 series. The players such as Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, who were impressive in the ODI series, will need to continue their form in the T20 series to sign off the tour on a high.

Pakistan, who must have been hurt by their performances in the ODI series, will need to lift their game to another level if they are to defeat England. Pakistan, who must also be eying revenge for their ODI series loss, will be led by their experienced cricketer Shaid Afridi in the series and the all-rounder will ask his players to show more hunger and determination.

Pakistani players such as Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan have to come up with an A-class performance against England.

With the 2016 ICC World T20 in India in March, both teams will be using the series as perfect preparation for the mega event. Pakistan and England will be eager to put to use their best possible strategy and combinations for the World Cup.

"We want to continue testing ourselves and our ability and to test our boundaries," The Guardian quoted Morgan as saying.

"Our progress has been outstanding since the World Cup in white-ball cricket. We've never taken a backward step since we've come together as a squad. As long as that continues and we're really honest with ourselves and learn along the way, that will hold us in good stead for the T20 World Cup."

Where to watch live

Pakistan vs England 1st T20 is scheduled for an 8pm local time (9:30pm IST, 4pm GMT, 9pm PKT) start with live coverage in India on Ten Cricket. The live streaming option will be available on Tensports.com.

Pakistani cricket fans can enjoy the Pakistan vs England 1st T20 match live on PTV with the option of watching it online on PTV Online. Geo Super Tv will also provide live streaming for the Pakistan vs England 1st T20 match.

The viewers in the UK can enjoy the entire Pakistan vs England 1st T20 match live action on Sky Sports 2/HD, with live streaming on Sky Go.

The viewers in the US can watch Pakistan vs England 1st T20 live on Willow TV and stream the game on Willow TV Online.